Thursday, June 12th, 2008

The vessel M/V Hereford Express was attacked by pirates and sustained serious damage to its bridge. While there were no injuries, the ship was attacked for over two hours by pirates in four speedboats. It was the first attack of a livestock vessel that anyone could remember - and it was attacked in Indonesian waters where pirates usually don't operate.

With the efforts of the new Maritime Enforcement Agency (MME), which is a joint effort of Indonesia and Malaysia governments to patrol the Malacca Straits, piracy has dropped substantially, but the criminals have simply moved to other areas. The attack of the Australian livestock ship in an area not known for pirate attacks is a prime example of this metric. However, the MME now have fast boats and new helicopters are on the way; funded by the U.S. and Japan.

Elsewhere, Somali pirate demands of the owner of a Dutch vessel have hit an impasse over the ransom. The pirates are holding the ship's nine man crew and are demanding 700,000 euros (more than $1 million). Reider Shipping, the owner of the freighter AMIYA SCAN, offered 450,000 euros, but the pirates have threatened to kill the crew unless their ransom is met.

The UNITED NATIONS Security Council has adopted a resolution on piracy, which will authorize various countries to carry out anti-piracy measures in Somali waters. Under the terms any state cooperating with the UN Agreement, for a six month period, will be allowed to enter into Somali waters and use all means necessary to repress act of piracy and armed robbery at sea.


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